Ranked number five in a preseason power ranking, the women’s Frisbee team has had their eyes set on the Division-One regionals all year, hoping to prove their worth as potential national championship contenders. While Whitman’s hosting of regionals on a sunny weekend here in Walla Walla seemed to be luck of the draw, there was nothing lucky about their performance: a 6-2 record, good for a second-place finish and advancement to the national tournament, which takes place May 22–25 in Milwaukee, Wisc.

The women’s team’s stellar performance has tremendous implications for the seeding it will receive heading into nationals. A second-place finish in a strong Northwest region, which received five out of the 20 bids, should result in a high national seeding. And second place didn’t come easy, requiring the Lady Sweets to beat third-ranked University of Washington and second-ranked University of British Columbia, who the team had lost to in pool play the day before. Its only other loss came at the hands of University of Oregon, ranked first nationally, by a narrow three score margin in a hard-fought game.

“The Oregon game was so close, really tight. Going into nationals after beating the second-ranked team, we feel awesome. I think we are huge contenders,” said junior captain Ari Lozano.

For the men, a 2-6 record at the tournament marks the end of their season. As a late addition, it represented more of an added bonus to the season than anything else. With little expectations heading into regionals, they focused on giving it their all.

“Our goal from the beginning of the year was to play our best Frisbee at this tournament and we absolutely did that,” said senior Elliot Moskat.

They managed to get a little bit of redemption as well, beating two teams this time around to who they lost to in sectionals.

Simply playing on their home turf seemed to vitalize both teams, giving them an extra boost throughout the weekend.

“Playing here at Whitman was awesome. It was really rewarding to be able to play in front of our friends and fans, and I think it was the best Frisbee we’ve played all year,” said junior Marlena Sloss.

Moskat agrees.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them play as well as they did; it was absolutely another level,” he said. “They definitely proved they can contend for a national championship.”

The national championship tournament takes place May 22–25 in Milwaukee, Wisc. and all signs point to the Lady Sweets making a huge splash.

While it’s nearly impossible to cross Ankeny in the spring without hearing the raucous sounds of an intramural football game or the buzz of a Frisbee, it is easy to forget how much work goes into making IM sports happen year in and year out. An entirely student-run entity, the IM Committee, along with team captains, ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. That is a tall order, especially when coordinating and scheduling a multitude of sports and teams. The IM League is also about continually improving the state of IM sports, keeping participation high and adding to the array of sports available here at Whitman.

Photo by Hannah Bashevkin.

Notable changes in IM sports over the past two years have been the addition of a ping-pong league and an online scheduling program called IMLeagues that has streamlined the formation of teams and game scheduling all across the country. Both changes have been whopping successes. One of the IM coordinators, senior Julianna Wetmore, spoke to how important IMLeagues has been in revolutionizing IM here at Whitman.

“When I first started we weren’t using IMLeagues,” she said. “Brian Choe ‘14 researched IMLeagues and brought it to Whitman in 2014, which has been the best thing to happen to IM Sports.”

Alongside dodgeball, putt-putt golf used to be an option as a second semester winter sport. However, the local company Sweet Putt recently closed down, leaving a dearth of sports during the winter. The IM Committee decided to replace it with ping-pong, and initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Twenty-five two-person teams participated this year. By using the residence halls (which possess sufficient equipment) as arenas for competition, it was a quick and easy addition to the IM League’s repertoire — essentially a no-brainer.

The goal of the IM Committee is to identify ways to keep improving everything about IM, but what makes its members want to adopt such a leadership position? Senior Zane MacPhee explained his motivation.

Photo by Hannah Bashevkin.

“I had such a positive experience my first year-and-a-half at Whitman, winning a couple of blue shirts. I wanted to be a part of it on the other side,” he said.

In the eyes of many students involved in IM Sports, competing for that blue shirt is a quintessential Whitman experience. Although MacPhee has been fortunate enough to come home with a few, not everyone has been so lucky, but that’s not what IM is about at its core. Instead, it’s about the relationships within and amongst teams.

“I enjoyed having a team with my freshmen section. It gets harder to meet up, but because we had the team last year we made sure to do it again this year,” said sophomore Ari Knops, team captain of soccer and ping-pong.

This reveals a trend amongst IM teams to stick together all four years at Whitman. While paths can tend to diverge after a first year, IM represents a way to maintain friendships, develop and improve as a team, and hopefully compete for the blue.

Some improvements for the future of IM include increasing participation amongst the first-year class, which was unusually low this year. This could be accomplished by better advertising, and an especially key area, contacting resident assistants to have section meetings about forming teams. Another year-to-year problem is team captains organizing large teams (i.e. softball and football) and teams forfeiting at the last minute due to lack of team members. Transparency between the committee and team captains is essential. In ping-pong, a necessary change seems to be a division one and division two league to differentiate between radically different skill levels, as well as a flexibility by the committee to change rules in-season, an issue that became apparent over altering shots in doubles ping-pong. Furthermore, a bowling league may be a pleasant addition.

Photo by Hannah Bashevkin.

Opening day was last Monday, so maybe I’m cheating a little bit by previewing the MLB Season now, but here are a few predictions with the caveat that I’ve been able to glimpse a few games. Let’s start with the reigning San Franciscan champions. After winning three out of the last five World Series, the Giants seem to have developed an every-other-year trend, meaning that this could very well be a down year. Throughout the regular season and an October without enough superlatives, ace Madison Bumgarner accrued 270 innings, and although I hate to say it because I like the guy, he may be due for an extended trip to the DL. Even if he doesn’t, the off-season replacements for the Big Panda (Pablo Sandoval) and Michael Morse (3B Casey McGehee and 1B Norichika Aoki respectively) are not all that awe-inspiring. Quality pitching in AT&T Park combined with Buster Posey, who will have a monster year, will allow the Giants to put up a decent record, but I think they will inevitably miss out on the playoffs, especially with an improved Padres roster pilfering a few more wins than they did last year.

The L.A. Dodgers are quickly becoming this generation’s Yankees — the team everyone loves to see lose. Despite spending a league-record 270 million dollars on payroll this season, all the money in the world will not buy the L.A. Dodgers a championship, at least not until Clayton Kershaw gets the St. Louis Cardinal monkey off his back. Although he is undoubtedly the cream of the crop among pitchers, having led the league in ERA the past four seasons, his inability to deliver in the postseason is becoming a broken record come October. Some might point to Don Mattingly not pulling his ace when he had the chance, but I believe that there is something to be said about a team having a pitcher’s number. The Dodgers will win games, no doubt, and the NL West, but they didn’t do anything in the off-season to get exponentially better. Instead, they simply unloaded Matt Kemp to the Padres. This stagnation is why I envision them falling tantalizingly close to winning the NL Divisional round against those pesky Cardinals yet again, who are a virtual lock to write in as contenders for the pennant every year.

While the A’s were the best team for the first half of the 2014 season, trading Yoenis Cespedes prompted a precipitous landslide into one of the worst in the second half. Backing into the playoffs, they fell to the surprising Royals in the AL Wild Card. After trading away Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays, Brandon Moss to the Indians, and Jon Lester leaving of his own accord, they feature an entirely revamped roster. Despite losing all the offense that Donaldson, Cespedes and Moss provided, I find it hard to bet against the A’s at least having the potential to exceed expectations and make the playoffs, partly because they will be featuring the next crop in an endless line of young quality pitching from Sonny Gray and crew, and their ability to work the platoons, but a divisional round playoff loss is as far as the 2015 season will take them.

It has been a long time since the Mariners have had any hype, and talk about a World Series berth seems a bit premature. The only way that will happen is if Taijuan Walker and James Paxton can finally make an impact in the show, delivering on potential that has been a long time coming. If they do, dominant pitching will allow them to reach the postseason, either by winning the AL West or snagging a wild-card spot, but their offense still leaves something to be desired. While off-season addition Nelson Cruz hit 40 home runs last year in spacious Camden Yard, I don’t see him reaching even 30 at Safeco. Even if they do make the playoffs, and I’m skeptical, they will most likely bow out to the more experienced AL teams like the resurgent Red Sox or perennial Tigers, who are both my picks to reach the AL Championship.

I think the Red Sox make a mid-season pitching upgrade, take the pennant, eventually win the World Series over the Washington Nationals, and Big Papi retires at the end of the season.

With two games left in their inaugural season, the Whitman Women’s Lacrosse Team is still searching for an elusive second win. After registering first in their opening match of the year, the program still faces the steep learning curve of transitioning from club to varsity status. At times, however, they have revealed the potential to compete with the best teams in the conference, including a 13-15 loss to undefeated Pacific and a near-rally this past weekend against UPS in an eventual 10-14 defeat. They now sit at 1-5 in the NWC.

Despite initial concern from returning players over the transition to varsity, Whitman aptly selected someone that would be conscious of those opinions. Having played at the DIII level at Catholic University in D.C., newly appointed Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Kate Robinson understands what it means to be a student-athlete with an emphasis on student. She believes that her own undergraduate experience is helping her develop a successful and fun culture, but not one that is overwhelming or detracts from the overall life of her players. It is a philosophy conducive to Whitman as a whole and also one that can be tough to balance when varsity status is attained. The general consensus is that the transition has been a smooth one, and everything bodes well for the future of women’s lacrosse here at Whitman.

“Academics, going abroad — these are all important aspects of a collegiate lifestyle,” said Robinson.

The transition also marks an influx of lacrosse culture into the Pacific Northwest. Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport at the high school and collegiate level, and Kate Robinson is excited to develop this program from the ground up and be a part of the shift in culture. Robinson spoke about the prospects for the young team.

“This year we’re doing really well. I think people in the conference are seeing that. I’m so happy because I lucked out with the talent that I got. I think we’ll be a top team in the NWC soon,” said Robinson.

As for the group of women that Robinson is speaking of, not all of them have even had prior lacrosse experience. One such player, senior Jade Anderson, explains how amazing her introduction to the sport has been.

“The team atmosphere is really incredible in a lot of ways. The more experienced players are really supportive, really encouraging,” said Anderson.

While it is rare to have such a large range of experience on a varsity team, everyone is excited to learn from each other. Furthermore, having more experienced people to model play technique has allowed the less-experienced to adapt to the sport quicker. Leading goalscorer and junior Captain Bea Sheffer commented on the positive attitude that greenhorns have brought to the team.

“Most of the time the new players bring the most energy and innovation to practice and games,” she said.

The team’s goals for the rest of the season are to grow and learn from every single game, which Robinson believes they are doing. They would like to continue to have fun and work hard.

“It’s so simple, but positivity and work ethic can make such a difference on the field and is probably why we are doing so well this season. We have a great group of players and a fantastic coach. I am excited to finish this season and for next year,” said Sheffer.

This team seems to have already exceeded expectations and surprised opponents in their ability to compete so quickly. With a few years of solid recruiting, something Whitman has been traditionally strong with, as well as a larger Northwest pool to draw from, women’s lacrosse here at Whitman is poised to take off.+

Let me start by proclaiming that I’ve only played one season of baseball in my life. It was in sixth grade, and as a batter, I was destined to one of two outcomes: a strikeout or walk. If I did reach first base, I was particularly deadly at stealing, but that’s another story. The only reason I’m telling you this is to assure you that you don’t need to be a baseball player to play fantasy baseball, and you don’t even need to know that much about baseball, at least not initially.

I started playing fantasy baseball in high school. A few of my good friends who actually did play the sport had a league in which they needed another member, and for some insane reason they asked me to join. I was hesitant at first. I mentioned that I didn’t know very much about baseball, but they eventually convinced me to do it, and boy would I be glad that I did. Fantasy baseball proved to be a ton of fun, and I grew to understand baseball in entirely new ways.

One of the caveats of joining this league, other than my lack of knowledge, was that it was an auction league. An auction draft, more so than any other drafting style, is complete chaos. The draft never goes exactly as you imagine it, and I repeat, never. With that in mind, let me provide a few pointers for anybody that is new to head-to-head auction leagues.

Acquire multiple opinions on the same player, but ultimately, only trust your own. Analyze as many as you can, but in the end, go with your gut instinct. With that in mind, don’t let your emotions take control of you. Although you may love one particular player, others might as well. If you get into an intense bidding war over one player, you may end up spending exorbitantly over their actual value on the field. It’s important to know when to bow out of a bidding war. So put a spending limit on the players you really want. If the bid exceeds that limit, move on to another target.

Don’t be afraid to spend some money early in the draft. While it is easy to overpay for a single coveted player, remember that you’re going to have to spend some money to make some. Be cautious about pricing, but don’t wait too long to get into the game as well; there’s nothing worse than the auction ending with a fair chunk of change left in your pocket. Late in the draft, people often tend to become desperate to fill a position on their team. If multiple people lack the same position, then they may inflate the price of players, simply due to demand. If you can acquire fairly priced players early in the draft, you can often avoid situations such as these.

Outline a spending strategy. Many leagues have each team start with 260 dollars, and it is essential to think about how to split that money up, first between pitching and hitting, and later even down to individual positions. One drafting plan that I’ve adopted is to assign an approximate range of money, within five to 10 dollars, for which I am willing to spend for each slot in my lineup. A spending strategy makes it far easier to identify players that you want to go after at a particular moment in the draft. For example, I like to spend around 200 dollars on hitting and 60 dollars on pitching.

One argument behind this is that there is always a surplus of pitchers that can be picked up out of free agency or the waiver wire, used as spot starts and then subsequently dropped. Furthermore, hitters affect six categories: runs, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, average and OPS. Starting pitchers, on the other hand, affect only five: wins, quality starts, ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. Closers count for even less, adding only to saves, strikeouts and the occasional win. Thus, batters can have more value on your team, especially in the depressed offensive conditions of the MLB. It is far harder to make up for a dearth of batting in-season than a dearth of pitching. While some surprise batters can be acquired, they are much rarer than the breakout waiver wire pitcher.

Don’t pay for saves! This is not a new idea, and while everyone seems to agree on it, there are people that do it every year. I say let them, but don’t let yourself be one of them. In an auction, every dollar you spend on one player is a dollar you don’t spend on another. This opportunity cost is highest amongst closers. Unless you’re punting the category, you will most likely need at least three decent closers to be in competition every week with your opponent. Say it costs 10 dollars for a borderline elite closer. If you want three elite closers, it’s going to cost at least 30 dollars. However, both decent and breakout closers will appear randomly for essentially no or little cost. In my inaugural season I drafted Craig Kimbrel dirt cheaply and he went on to have a legendary rookie season, but I wouldn’t be caught dead drafting him now because it costs too much. Play the cheap lottery tickets and with the extra money you can start off the draft with a big purchase — say Mike Trout?

Most varsity athletes here at Whitman have spent the majority of their lives honing their skills in one particular sport, a feat that requires a tremendous amount of dedication and passion. Except for a select few, Whitman athletes do not generally entertain illusions of playing at the next competitive level, which means that for senior athletes, when that last whistle or buzzer sounds it is most likely the end of a long chapter in their lives. This creates an inordinate amount of pressure to make that final season special, to make one final statement, because the back of their minds is a ceaseless countdown until that last game.

For some, like senior men’s basketball member Clay Callahan, who broke his leg two weekends prior, even that countdown is cut short. Although he finds it daunting to be finished with basketball, he is also looking ahead.

“I think I’m fortunate to have a lot of other things that I’m excited about in my life right now, so it won’t be too difficult, too much of a void,” he said.

For Callahan that includes attending a national championship in slam poetry at Virginia Commonwealth University over spring break. He is also considering holding a solo show sometime this spring. While Callahan’s injury cut his final season short, it is also important to note that it isn’t all that uncommon of a story; the last memories of many athletes here at Whitman are on the sideline.

Alex Barsher ’16. Photo by Hannah Bashevkin.

One such player is junior transfer Alex Barsher. For Barsher, soccer had always been a huge part of his identity growing up; his life revolved around it, and that didn’t change when he arrived at Whitman. In fact, he credits playing soccer here as helping him ease into academics and providing a dominant facet of his social life. In the midst of his inaugural season, in which he was currently leading the league in scoring, Barsher suffered from a nasty concussion that ended his season prematurely. Another concussion occurred in close succession the following season and would eventually end his soccer career. Barsher explains what he misses most about the sport.

“It’s the competitive rush that you get, the thrill that it provides. There aren’t many things that fired me up as much as soccer did,” he said.

But soccer wasn’t his only source of enjoyment, and there are numerous other activities at Whitman available. He’s been staying in shape and playing Frisbee, and he believes that it will eventually be something he gets good at. While the transition out of soccer has been hard one, being at Whitman has made it easier.

Photo contributed by Sam Perkins ’17.

A similar story is that of Barsher’s former teammate, sophomore Sam Perkins. In the time period between Barsher’s concussions, Perkins sustained one of his own, which marked the fifth concussion of his life. Just like Barsher, he was forced to quit the sport that he considered to be a lifetime passion. Though a difficult reality, the neurological consequences of continuing to play were something that both Perkins and Barsher agreed weren’t worth the risks.

“Making the decision to quit was difficult; however, it was in the back of my mind for years. I’m certain it was the right time to stop soccer, given that I had been advised to stop four concussions prior,” said Perkins.

Barsher echoed this sentiment.

“It’s something that affects the rest of your life. It’s not something you want to mess around with,” he said.

Although they described quitting as being difficult, in truth, it wasn’t an actual decision. What is most shocking about Perkins and Barsher is that the decision was essentially made for them, leaving them with no agency in the process.

With a surplus of free time, Perkins focuses most of it on firefighting but also enjoys exploring the outdoors and adventuring with his peers. His thoughts are similar to Callahan’s.

“Although I deeply miss something I’ve spent my entire life passionate about, its great to let my passions and commitment carry on to other parts of my life,” he said.

For all three Whitties, ending their athletic careers has been a time of reflection but also opportunity. It is that aspect that should be the takeaway from all of this, a message that Perkins would like to impart.

“It’s important to recognize that being passionate can be a dynamic process, and new opportunities are always available,” he said.

Combine skilled players with a simultaneously open and competitive environment, and the results are destined to be good. For Whitman’s women’s tennis program, results are already here. According to Head Women’s Tennis Coach John Hein, the past three years have been arguably the strongest years in the program’s history. At its peak, the team has reached as high as 16th in the national rankings.

Although Hein believes that last year’s team was the best he has coached in his seven years at Whitman, and maybe one of the best ever, this upcoming team may have a chance to one-up their predecessors and take their recent successes to the next level. While a national ranking of 16 is a milestone, the team has always had their eyes on the Elite 8.

Spearheading this movement are two dominant returning seniors, Courtney Lawless and Morgan Lawless. Though Morgan struggled with injuries that sidelined her for the majority of the 2014 season, she’s feeling healthy again. Fellow teammate Jenna Dobrin, a junior, is excited to have back one of the strongest players on the team.

“She’s looking incredible; big things coming from Morgan this year, and Courtney obviously,” said Dobrin.

Having both Lawless twins healthy will be key to the team’s success this season, but the rest of the team is also crucial. Hein is excited about what he’s witnessing from the two other seniors, Maddy Webster and Erin Bell.

“They’re playing better than I’ve ever seen them play. They’ve both made a huge jump since last year, and they have the right attitude to keep getting better throughout the season,” said Hein.

Other key names will be Jenna Dobrin and sophomore Alexandra Wallin, two of the most hardworking players on the team, and a bright spot in recent junior transfer Alexandra Sigouin. Hein could talk all day about this team, but his general feeling is that in order to reach the Elite 8, the whole team — not just the veterans but the underclassmen as well — will need to contribute.

The success the women’s tennis program has enjoyed has depended on the ability to transition from simply performing on raw talent, of which they have always had plenty, to honing precision skills. In the open and communicative environment that Hein has developed, the women on his team are not afraid to mix things up at practice and try new strategies. In head-to-head competition at practice, they can bring enthusiasm and energy into their individual play, but afterwards they can always discuss with each other what was working and what wasn’t. The result is that everyone improves drastically. Hein spoke to that competitive but constructive environment.

“Usually number one dominates, but there are upsets almost every day in practice, where almost anybody can beat anybody on a given day, which is what you want,” he said.

This is why the team feels so confident about the season. When underclassmen are able to learn from but also challenge the upperclassmen, everybody wins because there are nine points to be won in competition against other teams, and no one individual can win them all. When it becomes about improving a player’s teammates as well as herself, great things will happen. With such an attitude, look for the women’s tennis team to go far this season, hopefully to the Elite 8, or even further. Courtney Lawless is optimistic.

“I think this is the team to get to the Elite 8, and we’re all super pumped about that,” she said.

In an excellent start to the season, the team won its first conference matchup, with a convincing 7-2 result against Whitworth this past weekend. They will be at home this Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21 and 22, hosting Pacific University and George Fox University.

Go to any Whitman Men’s basketball game and you will rarely see senior Clay Callahan score, or even shoot for that matter. But what you will see him do are the intangibles, the little things that transcend box scores and the stat sheet. He won’t win you the game with a single shot; he will win you the game through selflessness, game management and by placing his teammates in quality scoring positions. He brings defensive intensity and tries to keep everyone firing on all cylinders.

For a point guard, it is uncommon not to shoot the ball, but when asked why he doesn’t shoot, Callahan simply laughs. He doesn’t believe that it’s ever been a big problem. It’s interesting to hear him even describe it as a “problem,” when in reality it may just be his greatest attribute.

“I like to set people up. I always got more out of that than shooting. We’ve got so many guys that can shoot this year. There are so many guys that are effective,” he said.

A player like Callahan is essential to any sports program, and his mindset is particularly instructive. The ability to recognize that there are more skilled players around him, players that can contribute in ways he can’t is one of the more important lessons for an athlete.By realizing this, by developing a niche within the game, Callahan is able to focus on his strengths and minimize situations of weakness.

For Callahan it’s always been more fulfilling to play like that, with a specific role in mind. His role simply doesn’t involve shooting all that often. It does, however, involve getting the ball into the hands of teammates in shooting opportunities that are just as good, if not better.

Though Callahan is fully capable and willing to shoot when it comes down to it, he knows his team, and he understands what everyone else is capable of. With so many other skilled players around him, shooting often is not necessary to him. Because of this ability, he is seen as a natural leader on the squad. His teammate, senior forward Matt Mounier explains why.

“He has a respect for everyone, which is really important in a leader. He’s really good at reading situations and knowing what we need, what’s best for everyone. That sets him apart,” said Mounier.

If he’s seen as a natural leader, it simply begs the question: Why isn’t he a captain? The answer is that the men’s basketball team does not believe in designating captains.

“We believe naming someone a captain limits other potential leaders — natural leadership rises to the top. We have, really, five to six guys who are doing an extraordinary job of leading in their own way,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Eric Bridgeland.

And Clay Callahan is certainly one of them — an important voice among many. When he believes he has the right things to say, he says them. The same goes for any person on the team, no matter their regular contribution. Whether they’re getting significant minutes or sitting injured on the bench, they can still play an important role.

Unfortunately, Callahan suffered a leg injury this past weekend which may threaten to sideline him for the first time in his Whitman basketball career. He had x-rays done on Monday, and the team was left to hope it was minor. Callahan himself thought it was simply a bad ankle sprain and that he’d be back soon.

“It feels equitable to a sprain I had on my left ankle last year, and that one I sprained in a Tuesday game and was able to play that Friday,” he said.

Unfortunately, the diagnosis was a small fracture in his leg. It appears unlikely that Callahan will be able to return for the remainder of the season, but he will certainly still be there to lead from the sideline. With the end of a successful season fast approaching, the team is hoping to make a push for conference championships, and they think they have the players to do it. In the past, opposing teams have been able to key in defensively on a few players, but this year, with so many guys able to score off the dribble as well as shoot, opponents often face more than they can handle.